A Novel Flap Technique for Repairing Large Lower Lip Defects

There are many well-established methods for the reconstruction of the lower lip. The selection of a particular method generally relies on the amount of lip resected and the amount of lip remaining. In cases of large defects (>50 % of the lip length) where direct closure and lip-switch techniques are inadequate, a perioral flap is used. All techniques for perioral flaps described until now result in an unwanted decrease in circumoral opening. The only available method that keeps the circumoral opening the same is a distant or regional free flap, and this technique is usually reserved for more extreme defects because it is more radical, technically demanding, and can pose a greater risk of complications. In this study, we describe a novel technique for reconstruction of the lower lip using a perioral flap in which the circumoral opening is kept the same. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .